Voltage regulating system



Dec. 8, 1931. H c RENTSCHLER 1,835,121

VOLTAGE REGULATING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 20, 1927 ll JV. RC.

INVENTOR HARVEY c. RENTCHLER ATTORN EY Patented Dec. 8, 1931 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE HARVEY CLAYTON RENTSGHLER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOIR TO W'EST- INGHOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA VOLTAGE REGULATING SYSTEM Application filed. January 20,1927. Serial No. 162,342.

This invention relates to a system for obtaining constant voltage ofdifferent magnitudes from a variable voltage source and moreparticularly to a voltage regulating system for supplying the platecurrent for radio receiving apparatus at a constant voltage from asource of rectified and. filtered I others thereof.

Another object is to provide a simple and effective source of currentsupply for the plate circuit of a multistage radio receivin apparatuswhich will permit voltages of di erent values to be supplied to thevarious stages from a source of constant or fluctuatinr voltage and inwhich adjustment of the V0 tage applied to one stage will not vary thevoltage applied to the other stages.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the present day construction of radio receiving apparatus it is thevery usual practice to provide one or more stages of radio frequencyamplification followed by a stage of detection and a plurality of stagesof audio frequency amplification.' Each of these stages require, inorder to obtain the highest quality and maximum sensitivity, platevoltages of different values. For instance, in certain types ofreceiving sets best results are obtained when a plate potential of about90 volts is supplied to the radio frequency amplifying tubes, 45 voltsto the detector tube, 135 volts to the intermediate audio frequencyamplifying tubes and 180 volts to the last stagepf audio frequencyamplification for supplying a large volume of undistorted output for theloud speaker.

' When employing as the source of plate current rectified andfilt-eredalternating current through the use of so-called B. eliminators, thevarious volta es desired for the different tubes is obtaine by the useof resistances of varying values. However, ad-

justment of the voltage supplied to one tube or set of tubes, varies thevoltage supplied to the other tubes and consequently it is difficult toobtain an accurate ad'ustment of the voltage supplied to each tube.Moreover, fluctuations in the output voltage of the current supplyapparatus causes undesirable fluctuations in the voltages applied toeach sta e of the receiving apparatus.

11 accordance with the present invention a plurality of regulatingdevices are connected in series with each other across the circuit.These voltage regulating devices are designed so as to maintain aconstant voltage across the terminals thereof, thus providing aninvariable source of potential, the-value of which dependsupon thecharacteristics of the regulating devices. By suitably choosing thecharacteristics of the voltage regulator device a plurality of constantvoltages of the desired values may be obtained and through suitablydisposed resistances, voltages intermediate the terminal voltages of theregulating devices may also be obtained and such intermediate voltagesadjusted to any desired value without aifectingthe other voltagesapplied to the receiving apparatus.

In order that this invention may be more fully understood reference willbe had to the accompanying drawing in which the single figure representsa system for supplying a series of voltages of different values, such asfor the operation of radio receiving apparatus.

Alternating current supplied from the mains 1 is stepped up by suitabletransformer 2 and rectified by any suitable rectifier 3. The form showndiagrammatically is of the gaseous discharge type operating on thepoint-to-plate principle. A rectifier of this nature is described andclaimed in co ending application of Rentschler et al., erial No.154,987, filed Dec. 15, 1926 and entitled Rectifier. The direct currentobtained from the rectifier 3'is smoothed out and rendered substantiallyuniform in value by the capacities 4 and inductance 5.

A plurality of volt-age regulating devices 6 and 7 are connected acrossthe line and maintain the voltage constant irrespective of fluctuationsin the voltage'of the alernatin current source or of chan es in theload. resistance 8 may be provi ed for limiting the current to thedesired maximum value. The

5 current regulating devices preferably are of the gaseous dischargetype such as described in applicants dopending application Serial No.59,986, filed October 2', 1925, and entitled Electric dischargedevice.Briefly, such devices preferably comprise a cathode of large efi'e'ctlvearea and an'anode of small area, the cathode consisting at least in partof misch metal of the cerium group of rare earth metals and the gaseousfilling being argon at a pressure of from 3 to 7 mms. of mercury. Suchdeyices have desirable characteristics, the voltage across the terminalsbeingapproximately 90 volts for considerable fluctuations in the loadand the operating and starting potentials being relatively closetogether so that the device comes into operation readil In theembodiment shown, two such devices are connected in seriesacross theline, thus making the total voltage difierence between the terminals 9and 10 approximately 180 volts and between the terminals 9 and 11approximately 90 volts. A resistance 12 may be connected across theterminals 10 and 11 for supplying a voltage intermediate that ofterminals of the regulator 6, through a tap 13 and a similar resistance14: may be joined across the terminals 11 and 9 to supply a voltageintermediate that of the terminals of the regulator 7, through a tapWith such an arrangement the taps 13 and 15. may be adjusted to supplyany intermediate voltage as for operating the detector tubes andintermediate stages of audio frequency amplification without efiectingeach other or without varying the voltage obtained at the terminals ofthe regulating devices 6 and 7. Of course, if desired to employ highervoltages a third regulator might be joined in series with the regulator6 and? tially constant voltage drop connected in series across saidsource, the sum of the voltage drop of all tubes being less than theminimum potential of said source and a resistance connected in shuntwith one of said tubes for obtaining potentials intermediate theterminal voltages of said tube, whereby the load connected across onevoltage may be changed or adjusted without producing any substantialchange in the voltage of the other circuits.

2. A system for obtaining a plurality of substantially constant voltagesof different magnitude from an electric current source havmg a variablevoltage, comprising a plurality of glow discharge tubes of substantiallyconstant voltage drop connected in uary 1927.

, HARVEY CLAYTON RENTSCHLER.

and a maximum potential of 270-volts obtained. It will be noted that thesystem described provides a source of supply of various voltages from asingle voltage source, some of which voltages may -be varied-withouteffect ing others and that such voltages are not effected byfluctuations in the alternating current source or in the load.

Obviously, many changes and modifica tions might be made in thearrangement shown without departing from the invention and I do notdesire to be limited to the exact.

substantially constant voltages of difl'erent magnitude from an electriccurrent source having a variable voltage, comprising a pluralityof glowdischarge tubes of substan-

